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September 30, 2014

Why Do We Suffer?

I feel my own physical and emotional pain and I wonder why I am suffering. I struggle when I see others go through suffering. It's especially painful when one human purposely harms another. I've been asking myself why we suffer so much. Is there a purpose to our pain?

1. We suffer because we make wrong choices. Some wrong choices have immediate consequences; others have later consequences. We immediately lose the Spirit when we purposely choose wrong. When I don't go to bed on time, I suffer a headache the next day.

2. When we suffer because of others' wrong choices, our suffering stands as a witness before God. The blood of the saints cries out against those who don't repent.

3. We gain empathy. When we struggle through pain, we understand others' pain. We then can help each other through difficulties.

4. We come to know our Savior. We seek for his guidance when we are in pain and he has the power to heal us.

5. We know the bitter from the sweet. We can't know joy unless we've experienced pain.